The regular season is a marathon, and Evanston was cruising along blissfully all the way to mile 24.
Then losses in their final three games made opening the playoffs on a dangerous opponent’s home floor an even more daunting proposition, but the Wildkits were instead greeted at the postseason starting line by a friendly face.
The losing streak is over and No. 17 Evanston, the top seed in the Class 4A Glenbrook South Sectional, has some momentum after beating Glenbrook South 56-29 in the Warren Regional semifinals Tuesday night in Gurnee.
Dylan Mulvihill scored 13 points, and Nojel Eastern added eight and four assists as Evanston (22-5) beat its Central Suburban South rival for the third time this season, including a 35-point victory on Feb. 12.
Glenbrook South (11-16) upset Warren in Monday’s regional quarterfinal. Evanston will face Wednesday night’s Niles North-Libertyville winner in the regional final on Friday.
“It was definitely something we thought about, being a No. 1 seed and having to go somewhere an hour away and play on their home floor, because Warren is a team that has beaten some of the top five or six seeds,” Evanston coach Mike Ellis said.
“We definitely knew what they were capable of, but we also saw how well Glenbrook South played them, so we knew they were going to be a challenge. You can’t take any games for granted this time of year.”
Outside shooting was an issue during the final weekend of the regular season, but it’s not as if Evanston, which shot better than 50 percent from the field, can’t handle a zone.
Five Wildkits connected from beyond the arc in the first three quarters, and they all found seams to hit Mulvihill and others in the post.
“We’re better than we shot that weekend,” Ellis said. “It was an anomaly. It happened for 48 hours after we played four months not shooting that poorly. It wasn’t something we were that stressed about. We have faith and confidence in our kids. It’s just a matter of shooting the basketball and getting good, rhythm shots.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
Player of the game: Dylan Mulvihill, Evanston, 13 points, 5 rebounds.
Key performers: Evanston — Nojel Eastern, 8 points, 4 assists. Glenbrook South — Matt Giannakopoulos, 11 points.